


Return

by DragonflyxParodies



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Under the Red Hood
Genre: Adoptive family, Barbara is the real mvp, Dick is okay in this one, F/M, Family, Feels, Gen, Strained Relationships, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 01:13:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19735390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonflyxParodies/pseuds/DragonflyxParodies
Summary: In which Dick is not a dick.Jason comes back; Dick wants to bring him home.





	Return

Dick found out Jason was alive in much the same way he found out about his baby brother’s death; well after the fact, by someone who was _not_ Bruce, and far too late to do anything about it.

Well. The last was not _technically_ true. Dick refused to believe it.

He’d pulled up the footage from the cowl that night, after finding out. Bruce had come into the cave just after Dick had seen –

He’d taken the high road and not said a word. He’d glared, seen the genuine heartbreak and remorse on Bruce’s face, and left.

So it wasn’t a matter of Bruce being a total jackass; it had been a mistake. That wouldn’t matter to Jason. Dick didn’t know if it mattered to him, either.

Actually tracking his brother down took more time than he’d expected; three days in he caved and called Barbara.

She’d been watching him. Making sure he was still alive, that he was healing after…after.

Dick crept into the apartment Jason had apparently claimed as his own at three in the morning. It was small and run down, cold and drafty and empty. The living room was combined with a kitchen, and two doors led into darkened rooms – one open, a bathroom most likely, and a second closed.

There was a couch and a coffee table cobbled together from a handful of wooden crates, a worn but gently used laptop closed and charging atop that. A couple of fold-out tables were pushed against the far wall, and Dick let his eyes skip over the weapons and armor scattered across their surface as he let himself fall onto the couch.

There was a hefty-looking first aid kit beside the laptop. It was mostly empty.

Dick made himself comfortable – which, as shitty as the apartment was, Jason had at least splurged for a comfortable couch, so it probably wasn’t because of lack of funds. And his… _business_ was still up and running and all.

And he waited.

X

Jason’s hoarse, strangled screams woke him out of a doze two hours later. It took every ounce of self control he possessed to stay where he was. To not run in there and wake him, hold him.

When Jason stumbled sweaty and gasping for breath out of his room, he didn’t notice Dick. Didn’t notice him until he’d fumbled around in the kitchen for a glass and slapped the faucet on and downed one, two, three glasses of water. The glass clattered into the sink like a gunshot.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. And then –

“’m I hallucinatin’?”

“He didn’t – He didn’t tell me.”

Jason stilled for a moment, and then sighed.

“Not intr’st’d in a…in y’r guilt tr’p.” He was slurring his words, rasping and – _tired_. Dick sat up, and hesitantly stood. Jason didn’t tense, but he didn’t _relax_ either.

But he let Dick reach out, put a hand on his face, and let out a disgusted sigh when Dick just started _crying_.

Because Jason was – was _real_. Was really _there_. And even if – even if it had been him behind that helmet, all those months ago –

Jason had always been an irritating little shit. It was… _soothing_ , to realize that those barbed comebacks were – that they’d come from the same boy. It meant he was still the same kid, or part of that kid. What he’d endured hadn’t broken his spirit.

He didn’t say a word when Jason, too, began to cry.

They held each other until the sun blanched the room in pale yellows.

X

“I didn’t think you’d…”

“Are you fucking _kidding_ me? I had my head stuck up my ass the entire fucking time you were – _home_. And I finally realize it and we finally get on good terms and –”

Dick was a little drunk. Jason didn’t drink; that hadn’t changed.

He’d stolen Bruce’s good whiskey once, and been so horrified at the taste he’d stashed it under Dick’s bed without telling him. That had been an – _interesting_ fight.

“’S that why you kept the kid?”

“Wasn’t gonna make the same mistake twice.” He said, solemnly, and Jason twitched.

“I shot the kid.”

“Non-lethally.”

“That shouldn’t matter.”

“I forgive you. If you’re not a jackass, he’ll forgive you.”

“You’re pretty cavalier about all this.”

“If I panic it’ll make you panic and then you’ll disappear again.”

Jason blinked, and looked down at his brother.

“I’m…yeah. Okay. Fair.”

“How are you – you feeling? Are you healing?”

“From…being dead? That was literally years ago, Dickie.” There was a tension in Jason’s voice that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Dick sat up, and – very slowly – scooted until he was sitting directly beside his brother; and then he sagged his weight against Jason.

“I’m sorry.”

“ _That_ is not something you should apologize for.”

“Why not?”

“You didn’t do it.”

X

When Jason started getting _antsy_ , Dick made an excuse and took his leave. He went straight to Barbara, reassured her that Jason was alright. That he knew he could – he could come to them, if he needed to.

And he restrained himself from hunting down his brother every night. Jason had always needed _space_. And with the mess that lay between them _now_ …

He limited his visits to once a month. And he kept them visits, too. If they ran into each other on patrol, that didn’t count. He went to that apartment, usually carrying takeout and bad movies. He had, after all, a couple years worth of educating to do. The next time Jason referenced one of his books and thought other people would get it, Dick wasn’t even going to give him a pity laugh.

After three months of behaving enough that Jason didn’t even tense at the sight of him, he got to experience the profound joy of having his baby brother dive through his girlfriend’s window and crash-land on top of their dinner. On date night.

Jason was tense, and he didn’t say a word for a long moment.

“Sorry. Got spooked.”

“Bruce?” Barbara asked, and sighed, setting down her fork and casually wiping sauce off of her cheek. Jason tensed, hand tightening around his holster and Dick –

“Bitch, _I cooked this_!”

“Bitch, I watched you _buy this_. Frozen. That doesn’t fucking count.” Jason snapped back, and rolled off the table. But he’d relaxed, just a little.

“So Jason’s buying pizza.” Barbara said after a moment, while Dick forced his smile to stay hidden, from curling his mouth up.

Jason made an affronted noise, and pulled of his helmet.

It settled something in him, to watch his brother peck Barbara’s cheek before wandering off shouting about phones and toppings. He was – even with Bruce and the drama there, even with the hurt and upset and pain –

Jason was alive.

And that was…more than any of them, except for Jason, deserved.

**Author's Note:**

> yeah so i felt bad i tend to trash on dick a little bit (lol) in my work so i fixedided it. A little light-hearted compared to what I usually write, I think?


End file.
